TEACHERS have urged children to take advantage of an airgun amnesty and rid schools of offensive weapons.

TEACHERS have urged children to take advantage of an airgun amnesty and rid schools of offensive weapons.

Members of the public in Wales have until April 30 to hand in unwanted airguns, and from that date on, anyone owning an airgun will have to have a full firearms certificate.

NUT Cymru solicitor Sarah Morgan has pointed out that the amnesty and recent new laws apply particularly to school-age children.

She said, "The firearms provisions in the Anti-Social Behaviour Act which came into effect in January of this year raised the minimum age for owning air weapons from 14 to 17.

"We welcome this. Although many youngsters have a responsible attitude towards airguns for recreational use, there are others for whom the combination of immaturity and airguns is a potentially lethal combination."

She said that in recent years there had been cases where airguns had actually been taken into school by pupils.

Ms Morgan said, "We are also pleased to see that this Act has brought in a new offence of possessing an air weapon, or imitation, in a public place without reasonable excuse."

Gethin Lewis, NUT Cymru Secretary, said the new legislation had important implications for education.

He said, "Schools are all too often oases of calm in a turbulent society.

"However, teachers cannot be expected to solve all the problems which society throws up. When society sets out clear rules on what is acceptable behaviour and what is not, this can only be helpful to our schools and colleges.

"We would strongly encourage young people to take advantage of the airgun amnesty and to hand in any unwanted or offensive weapons to which they may have access."